Over the last several years, both men and women have been increasingly drawn to the advantages provided by electric dry shavers. In general, the consuming public has found that the use of razors or other systems is extremely inconvenient for removing or shaving short hair or stubble, as commonly found in mens' beards and womens' legs. In addition, with the ever increasing time constraints and commitments individuals typically encounter, a fast and effective shaving system is most desirable.
The discomfort, as well as the time consumed in using shaving cream, soaps or gels in order to provide a medium for which a razor can be used, requires more time and inconvenience than most individuals are willing or capable of allowing. Furthermore, the cost of maintaining a sufficient supply of these products creates an additional burden. Consequently, electric dry shavers have become increasingly popular, as well as battery-operated electric dry shavers which can withstand exposure to moisture, thereby enabling individuals to simultaneously shower, as well as shave either beards or legs.
As the popularity of electric dry shavers increased, various product designs and alternate constructions proliferated, in an attempt to improve and enhance the comfort and cutting efficiency of such shavers. However, in spite of these product changes, difficulties have continued to exist in providing optimum results with optimum comfort.
One particular configuration has been found to be extremely efficacious in achieving high quality shaving results, as well as being extremely comfortable to use. This configuration comprises the various models of electric dry shavers incorporating a movable cutting blade which cooperates with a thin, flexible mesh screen, or apertured foil.
In operation, the cutting blades are rapidly and continuously reciprocatingly moved against one side of the mesh screen or apertured foil, causing the cutting blades to repeatedly cross the plurality of apertures and provide a virtually continuous cutting action at each aperture. Then, by sliding or guiding the other side of the mesh screen or apertured foil over the skin surface to be shaved, the individual hair shafts enter the holes formed in the screen or foil and are cut by the movement of the cutting blades.
Although this dry shaving cutting system has proven to be extremely effective, as compared to other dry shaving products, one area of difficulty does exist. In certain instances, as the mesh screen or apertured foil is moved over the skin surface in order to attain the desired cutting action, the contours of the skin act upon the apertured foil, causing the foil to deflect. Since the cutting blades are in intimate contact with the opposed side of &the apertured foil, the deflection of the foil also causes the cutting blades to be simultaneously deflected therewith.
Unfortunately, at certain times, the apertured foil and the cutting blades do not simultaneously move in completely identical directions and, as a result, the cutting blade is moved out of intimate, contacting, cutting engagement with at least a portion of the surface of the apertured foil. When any such separation occurs, the movement of the cutting blade is incapable of attaining the requisite cutting action against the surface of the apertured foil, causing discomfort to the user as well as resulting in unshaven areas.
In an attempt to reduce or eliminate the tendency of the apertured foil from flexibly separating from the cutting blades, most apertured foils have been constructed with the apertures or holes formed in the foil, lying in rows which are angularly biased relative to the cutting edges of the cutting blades. This angular biased relationship has been employed to reduce or eliminate the possibility of adjacent holes cutting at the same time, since it was found that simultaneous cutting of hair follicles by adjacent holes tended to cause the apertured foil to deflect.
Although it is now generally accepted to arrange the apertures or holes in rows which are biased to the cutting edges of the cutting blade, the difficulties and drawbacks resulting from the foil being flexed out of contact with the cutting edges of the cutting blade continues to exist. Attempts to resolve this continuing problem have resulted in a plurality of alternate configurations and arrangements being employed for the apertures or hole patterns. However, these various prior art constructions have been incapable of eliminating the problems, and separation of the apertured foil from the cutting surface continues in these prior art units, with discomfort and unshaven areas resulting therefrom.
Consequently, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an apertured foil construction for electric dry shavers wherein unwanted disassociation of the apertured foil from the cutting blade is substantially reduced and virtually eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apertured foil for electric dry shavers having the characteristic features described above which is capable of providing substantially improved comfort and shaving efficiency, while also providing enhanced and improved results.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apertured foil for electric dry shavers having the characteristic features described above which is capable of Virtually eliminating areas where the shaver is incapable of cutting the desired hair due to the contours of the surface being shaved.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved apertured foil for electric dry shavers having the characteristic features described above which virtually eliminates unwanted unshaven areas.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.